Beyond These Hills (44 page)

The wedding was over, the guests had left, and Laurel was alone with her husband in the church. He took her hand and pulled her over to the pew where he'd sat with her the first Sunday he'd come to the Cove. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She snuggled against him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Are you happy, Mrs. Brady?”

She sighed with contentment. “Ecstatic, Mr. Brady. I'm still excited because your father came. I know you're going to have the relationship with him you've always wanted.”

“It's all because of you,” he whispered in her ear. “All I am is because of you.”

She smiled and snuggled closer. “God has been good to us, Andrew.”

“He has, and I believe He's going to bless us even more.”

They sat beside each other without speaking for a few minutes before he pulled out his watch and looked at it. “We need to be going. The trucks left with your parents' and grandparents' furniture and belongings this morning. I'm sure they're ready to go to Gatlinburg.”

She pushed to her feet. “And for us to get to our house. I can hardly wait.”

He wrapped his hand around hers and they walked from the church together. As they came down the steps, her grandfather motioned for them to follow him. “We're going to Granny's grave before we leave.”

Together they walked to the cemetery and joined the rest of the family beside Granny's grave. Laurel surveyed her family, all present except one. At least they'd received a letter from Charlie. He was living in Florida, working on a fishing boat. Her father doubted he'd stay there long. Charlie was too much like Grandpa Jackson, he said. She wondered if they'd ever see him again.

She directed her attention back to her grandfather when he cleared his throat and spoke. “It's time for us to say goodbye to Cades
Cove, the place we've lived and worked for years, but we can't go without paying homage to the woman we loved. Let's pray.” They bowed their heads as Simon began to speak. “Oh, God, You know how our hearts are breaking today as we leave our homes and begin life in a new community. But we can't leave this place without thanking You for the privilege of living in this beautiful valley and for putting the influence of Granny Lawson in our lives. We pray the lessons she taught us will not be forgotten but will pass to the new generations that will come from our family. Thank You for her life, Lord, because we realize without her prayers, we wouldn't be standing here as a family today. Help us to always be worthy of the prayers she prayed for each of us. Amen.”

No one spoke for a moment, and then Anna looked across Granny's grave to Laurel. “I don't want the story of this valley forgotten, Laurel. I want you to tell it.”

Laurel's eyes grew wide as she stared at her grandmother. “Me? How can I tell the story?”

She glanced down at the grave once more. “Since the day I arrived at Granny's house over forty years ago I've kept a journal about life in the Cove. The first one contained all the things I was learning from Granny. Then I began to write about our lives and our family. You have a gift for photography, and you've created a visual history of the Cove. I'm giving you my journals and I want you to put our story in a book. We can't let our way of life here be forgotten. You have to record it for future generations.”

Laurel glanced at Andrew, and he smiled and squeezed her hand. “You can do it, Laurel.”

She turned back to her grandmother. “I will, Nana. I'll put it all down on paper so people will remember us and know how we lived.” She glanced at her new husband. “But Andrew has some news he's been waiting to share with you.”

They turned to stare at him, and he smiled. “The Park Service
has decided they made a mistake in wanting the Cove to return to a wild state. They're going to reconstruct some of the cabins that were torn down and preserve the ones left, as well as the churches. Generations to come will understand how the folks in Cades Cove lived in days gone by.”

“That's good news indeed,” Simon said. “I think we can leave happier knowing a symbol remains of those who called this valley home for generations.”

Silently, they filed by and placed their hands on Granny's tombstone before they trudged to the vehicles parked at the front of the church. Matthew, who looked as if he was about to burst into tears, took one last look at the church before he got into the truck. Her mother grabbed Willie's hand and they got in beside him.

Andrew held their car door open for Laurel, but she stopped and glanced back at her grandparents as, hand in hand, they climbed the steps to the church once more. She moved back to the bottom of the steps so she could see what they were about to do.

They stopped at the door, and each placed their free palm against the wood and bowed their heads. After a moment she heard her grandfather speak. “Anna, before we married you told me God wanted to give us one heart to serve the people in the Cove, and we've done that for over forty years. Now they're all gone, but my prayer is that our ministry will have touched their lives and they'll pass it on to others.”

Her grandmother smiled, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. “Simon, we've done what God asked us to do here, but our ministry's not over. There are people outside this valley who don't know the peace God can give them. Now we have to serve Him somewhere else.”

He smiled at her. “We promised Him as long as we're together that's what we'd do.”

They turned, and Laurel almost gasped at the happiness that radiated on their faces. She backed away as they walked down the steps.
With their heads held high, they got into their car and her grandfather drove away from the church. Her parents' truck followed.

“Are you ready to leave, Laurel?”

She smiled at her husband and nodded. It was time for a new life in a new place. She climbed in the car, and Andrew drove away to join the little caravan that headed to new beginnings.

About the Author

Sandra Robbins
and her husband live in the small college town in Tennessee where she grew up. They count their four children and five grandchildren as the greatest blessings in their lives. Her published books include stories in historical romance and romantic suspense. When not writing or spending time with her family, Sandra enjoys reading, collecting flow blue china, and playing the piano.

To learn more about books by Sandra Robbins or to read sample chapters, log on to our website:

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ANGEL OF THE COVE

By Sandra Robbins

I
n the first book in the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, acclaimed author Sandra Robbins weaves a tale of love, loss, and God's faithfulness in every circumstance.

Anna Prentiss has never wanted to be anything but a nurse. Before she can start school in New York, however, her brother sends her to Cades Cove, deep in the Smoky Mountains, to spend a summer apprenticing to the local midwife. Anna is determined to prove herself and then head to the big city.

But nothing could have prepared Anna for the beauty of the Cove, or the community and friendships she finds there. And she certainly wasn't prepared for Simon Martin, the handsome young minister, or the feelings he arouses in her. Has God's plan for Anna changed? Or is she just starting to hear Him clearly?

MOUNTAIN HOMECOMING

By Sandra Robbins

I
n the second book in the Smoky Mountain Dreams series, acclaimed author Sandra Robbins spins a tender tale of God's faithfulness throughout the generations.

Rani Martin, Simon and Anna's only daughter, is a beautiful and spirited young woman living deep in the heart of the Smoky Mountains. She has plenty of ideas about the man she'll marry someday, but none of them could have prepared her for the return of Matthew Jackson.

Matthew left Cades Cove as a child after his father's death. Now he's come back to build a new life for himself, and it's his dearest wish that Rani be a part of that life. But the people of the Cove won't let him forget the sins of his father, and Matthew can't forget the darkness of his own past.

Is there a place for Matthew in the Cove? And can the light of Rani's love overcome his pain?